Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Ibou Badji Re-Signs With Trail Blazers On Two-Way Deal

July 1st, 2023 at 9:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Restricted free agent center Ibou Badji has re-signed with the Trail Blazers on a two-way contract, per NBA.com’s official transactions log.

It seems likely that Badji simply accepted the two-way qualifying offer that Portland issued him a couple days ago in order to secure the right of first refusal.

A 7’1″ Senegalese center with a 7’9″ wingspan, Badji played in Spain from 2019-22 and joined the Wisconsin Herd (the Bucks’ G League club) to begin the 2022/23 campaign after going undrafted last year.

In seven games with the Herd, Badji averaged 7.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 17.6 minutes per contest, impressing the Blazers with his ability to protect the rim. Portland signed him to a two-way deal in November.

The Blazers didn’t have a G League affiliate of their own last season (they do now), so Badji didn’t play any more NBAGL games after joining Portland.

The big man could have suited up for the Blazers or been assigned to another team’s G League affiliate, but he was listed on the team’s injury report for a few months with left knee soreness before undergoing surgery in March. He was expected to be out for eight weeks, so he should be go to go for training camp this fall.

Latest On Damian Lillard

July 1st, 2023 at 8:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin will try to accommodate the trade request Damian Lillard made earlier today, but he will also operate in the best interests of his own team, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Rival front offices believe Cronin is looking for a “star-level” return and he’s willing to consider other teams besides Miami, which is Lillard’s preferred destination.

Cronin confirmed that sentiment in a statement he issued after the Lillard news was made public, saying, “We have been clear that we want Dame here, but he notified us today he wants out and he’d prefer to play someplace else. What has not changed for us is that we’re committed to winning, and we are going to do what’s best for the team in pursuit of that goal.” (Twitter link)

Tyler Herro, who has four years and $120MM left on his contract, is considered a vital part of any Heat deal for salary matching purposes. However, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) that Cronin doesn’t view Herro as a good fit with his roster and would try to find a third team to take him if Lillard is traded to Miami. The Nets have been considered as a team that might take on Herro’s contract, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

There’s also a sense that the Blazers won’t rush into a deal and will take their time to make sure they get the best return for Lillard, tweets Mark Medina of Sportsnaut.

Many teams are interested in acquiring Lillard, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who names the Sixers, Clippers and Jazz among them. Amick reiterates that a third team would likely have to get involved for a trade with Miami to work.

Amick also examines what led to Lillard’s trade request, saying he was ready to ask for a deal when he and his agent met with Cronin on Monday. Cronin was able to talk Lillard into waiting to see what the team was able to do in free agency, but when no major additions took place Friday night, Lillard called coach Chauncey Billups and decided it was time to move on.

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer also has doubts that Lillard will end up in Miami, stating that the Heat’s potential best offer would be “one of the worst trades in NBA history.” He believes Miami would be willing to accept Jusuf Nurkic‘s contract along with Lillard, while sending back Herro, Kyle Lowry, Jaime Jaquez, Nikola Jovic, first-round picks in 2028 and 2030 and a pick swap in 2029. O’Connor points out that the deal wouldn’t give Portland a collection of valuable picks or young talent to build around.

O’Connor lists eight teams that he believes should be aggressively pursuing Lillard, starting with the Sixers. Philadelphia has indicated that it’s not willing to part with Tyrese Maxey, but if that changes, O’Connor views Maxey, two future first-rounders, a pick swap and expiring contracts as better than what Miami can offer. He points out that Sixers president Daryl Morey can pick up more trade assets by sending James Harden to the Clippers before addressing Lillard.

Trail Blazers Officially Sign Kris Murray To Rookie Contract

July 1st, 2023 at 4:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Trail Blazers have officially inked new power forward Kris Murray to his rookie scale deal, per a team press release.

Terms of the agreement have not been released, but the deal will most likely pay him $2.8MM to start of his four-year deal.

Portland selected the 6’8″ forward with the No. 23 pick out of Iowa in this year’s draft. Though he wasn’t as starry a prospect as his Trail Blazers first round selection, third overall pick Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite, the 22-year-old Murray is still an intriguing, decorated young player. Henderson also officially agreed to terms on his rookie scale deal with Portland recently.

A consensus All-America Third Teamer during his third and final season with the Hawkeyes in 2022/23, Murray averaged 20.2 PPG on .476/.335/.729 shooting splits, along with 7.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.2 BPG and 1.0 SPG. He was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team for his efforts.

As is the case for all first-round draft picks, Portland will have team options on the third and fourth seasons of Murray’s rookie contract. Though most signings and trades cannot be completed during the league’s July moratorium as the 2023/24 season officially gets underway, rookie contracts are an exception to that rule.

Damian Lillard Rumors: Heat, Herro, Martin, Nurkic, Grant

July 1st, 2023 at 3:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Shockwaves were sent throughout the league this morning when it was reported that longtime Trail Blazers All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard had requested a trade.

During an appearance on NBA Today, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter video link) spoke with host Malika Andrews about the curious timing of the deal.

“His conversations with the organization, at least going back several days [to] that last Monday meeting in Portland, the expectation was he was going to give the organization a chance to get through free agency, and see how they could improve the team,” Woj said. “And on the opening night of free agency, they committed in Portland $160MM to Jerami Grant to return to the Blazers, certainly with Damian Lillard in mind. And now, less than 24 hours later, Lillard has asked for a trade.”

Sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report that Lillard’s agent Aaron Goodwin informed Joe Cronin of his client’s decision on Saturday morning.

Haynes is one of many reporters hearing that Lillard hopes to be dealt to Miami. Heat All-NBA swingman Jimmy Butler, fresh off leading the team to its second Finals appearance in four seasons, has told Miami personnel that Lillard is his No. 1 target for the club’s offseason, Haynes adds.

Miami is prepared to make an offer centered around young shooting guard Tyler Herro, according to Haynes, who says sharpshooter Duncan Robinson and draft picks could be used to build out the package. The team is hoping to avoid including affordable forward Caleb Martin in trade talks, per Haynes and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (via Twitter).

The Trail Blazers, for their part, may angle to unload the contract of veteran center Jusuf Nurkic in a deal.

“If you want to go into a full rebuild, Brooklyn has the better assets going forward,” a front office executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports. “But Portland is pretty clear that they are not looking to be terrible next year. They will be young but they want to stay competitive. Dealing with Miami gets you there.”

Surrounding third overall lottery pick Scoot Henderson with a play-making scorer at the level of Herro and perhaps a marksman with the pedigree of Robinson could help the Trail Blazers at least remain somewhat competitive next season.

However, there have been rumblings that Portland may be “lukewarm” on Herro, so it’s possible a third team would have to get involved, as Jackson writes for The Miami Herald in an exploration of possible trade scenarios. Haynes (Twitter link) has indeed heard that any Lillard trade between the Blazers and Heat would probably have to include a third team, though he doesn’t specify whether that’s related to Portland’s feelings about Herro.

The Sixers are another club that hopes to get into the running for Lillard. However, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) is hearing that young combo guard Tyrese Maxey, who is still on his rookie scale contract, is currently off the table in any trade talks, even for Lillard. Fischer reiterates that rival teams, including Philadelphia, are convinced Lillard hopes to be moved to the Heat specifically.

Finally, Wojnarowski provides an important update on another key veteran whose future is affected by Lillard’s trade request, tweeting that today’s news won’t change Portland’s plans to re-sign Grant to the five-year, $160MM contract he and the team agreed to on Friday night.

That deal can’t be made official until July 6, so either side could back out of their verbal agreement before then. However, it would be a bad look for a club to rescind such a significant offer, and Grant seems unlikely to do anywhere near that well elsewhere on the free agent market.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Trail Blazers Sign Scoot Henderson To Rookie Deal

July 1st, 2023 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have officially signed Scoot Henderson to his rookie scale contract, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

With Damian Lillard‘s trade request perhaps signaling the end of an era in Portland, the Blazers have formally locked up the player whom they’ll build around as they enter their next era. The No. 3 overall pick, Henderson is considered to have All-NBA potential and figures to be the team’s lead guard of the future.

Henderson will earn approximately $9.8MM in the first season of his four-year rookie scale contract, which will be worth over $44MM in total.

Although there’s a transaction freeze during the NBA’s July moratorium, which runs from July 1-6, there are a few kinds of moves that can still be completed during the moratorium period. Rookie contract signings are one of them, so many of this year’s first-rounders will likely ink their first NBA deals in the coming days.

Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard Requests Trade

July 1st, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has requested a trade out of Portland, sources tell Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The team is expected to work to accommodate the request, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link).

Lillard’s future in Portland has been the subject of speculation for several years, as the team hasn’t made it out of the first round of the postseason since 2019 and has missed the playoffs entirely in each of the last two seasons.

The seven-time All-Star, who has spent his entire 11-year NBA career with the Trail Blazers, has repeatedly expressed his loyalty to the organization and conveyed a desire to stick it out in Portland. However, Lillard – who will turn 33 later this month – has also made it clear that he wants to have a chance to contend for a championship during his remaining prime years.

Lillard spoke earlier this year about his preference that the Blazers look to build out their roster with veterans rather than prioritizing youth. So when the franchise landed the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft, there was a sense that what Portland did with that selection would significantly influence Lillard’s next move.

Rather than trading the No. 3 pick for an impact player, the Blazers kept it and drafted Scoot Henderson, a 19-year-old guard who has superstar upside but who will need some time to develop at the NBA level. Portland also reached an agreement on a five-year, $160MM deal with free agent forward Jerami Grant on Friday, but Lillard has apparently determined that the team’s moves early in the offseason won’t substantially increase its chances of contending in the short term.

According to Shelburne (Twitter link), Lillard considered asking for a trade when he met with the Blazers’ front office on Monday, but wanted to give them every opportunity to make roster upgrades this week. He decided on Friday night to request a move, Shelburne adds.

Haynes initially reported (via Twitter) the Heat and Nets are the preferred landing spots for the former No. 6 overall pick. Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports adds (via Twitter) that no other teams – including the Sixers – are on Lillard’s wish list for now, though Shelburne (Twitter link) adds that he has a “deep respect” for the Spurs.

While Brooklyn could put together a competitive offer of players and draft picks, it sounds like Lillard is focused specifically on Miami. League sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the Blazers were told that Dame wants to end up with the Heat.

Lillard spoke to some Heat players recently about how a deal might work, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), the star guard loves the city of Miami, is good friends with Bam Adebayo, has “great respect” for Jimmy Butler, and views the Heat as a legitimate contender.

Lillard doesn’t have a no-trade clause, so he could be dealt to any team, but the Blazers likely won’t want to reward his 11 years of service to the franchise by sending him somewhere he doesn’t want to be. If Portland does open up the Lillard sweepstakes to other suitors, Philadelphia would have interest in exploring a deal, as would the Clippers, tweets Wojnarowski.

The Heat are expected to “vigorously” pursue a trade for Lillard, according to Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami was reportedly in the mix for Bradley Beal in June, but after Phoenix traded for the longtime Wizards star, reports indicated that the Heat were focused on Lillard and were willing to wait for him to ask out of Portland.

A Miami offer for Lillard would almost certainly include at least two of Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, and Duncan Robinson. The Heat also have at least two tradable future first-round picks (2028 and 2030) and could sweeten their offer by attaching young prospects such as Nikola Jovic or 2023 first-rounder Jaime Jaquez, or a veteran on a team-friendly contract like Caleb Martin. They could also offer multiple first-round pick swaps.

According to Wojnarowski, the Trail Blazers will prioritize young players and draft picks in their Lillard trade negotiations. In Henderson and 2022 lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe, the club already has two young potential cornerstones to build around.

Suns Sign Four Free Agents

June 30th, 2023 at 5:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 11: The Suns have officially signed Okogie, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets.

“Josh plays with relentless energy. His grit, intensity and athleticism are vital to the success of our team,” Jones said in a statement. “He consistently makes winning plays on both ends of the floor. He is truly unique.”

JULY 7: After officially signing Eubanks and Bates-Diop earlier in the week, the Suns have finalized Lee’s deal as well, per a press release.

“Damion’s elite three-point shooting, championship experience and toughness help elevate our team,” general manager James Jones said in a statement. “His leadership and professionalism are pivotal as we pursue an NBA title.”

JUNE 30: The Suns have reached agreements with four free agents, including two of their own.

Forward Josh Okogie is re-signing with the Suns, Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report tweets. Guard Damion Lee is also returning on a two-year deal with a player option for the second season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Power forward Drew Eubanks is leaving the Trail Blazers to sign a two-year deal with a player option, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets. Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop is signing with Phoenix on a two-year, $5MM contract that also features an option, Wojnarowski tweets. Bates-Diop will have a chance to earn a starting spot — presumably, he’ll battle Okogie to start alongside Kevin Durant.

Okogie started in 26 of 72 regular-season games last season for the Suns, averaging 7.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18.8 minutes. He also started in half of their 10 postseason games.

Lee saw action in 74 of Phoenix’s regular-season games and averaged 8.2 points in 20.4 minutes. He made a career-best 44.5% of his 3-point attempts.

Eubanks averaged 6.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 20.3 minutes while appearing in 78 of Portland’s games, including 28 starts. He figures to play backup minutes at power forward and perhaps center. Bates-Diop started 42 of the 67 games in which he played for San Antonio last season. He averaged a career-best 9.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21.7 minutes.

Trail Blazers Waiving Trendon Watford

June 30th, 2023 at 11:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers are waiving forward Trendon Watford, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Watford’s non-guaranteed minimum salary ($1,836,096) for 2023/24 would have become fully guaranteed if he had remained under contract beyond Friday. By cutting him, Portland won’t be on the hook for that money and will create a little extra roster flexibility entering free agency.

It’s a somewhat surprising move, given that Watford is just 22 years old and is coming off a pretty good season in Portland. He averaged 7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists with a shooting line of .560/.391/.720 in 62 appearances (19.1 MPG) in 2022/23.

Watford will become an unrestricted free agent if he passes through waivers, but given his age, his modest salary, and his solid track record, he’s a candidate to be claimed.

Although he’s on a minimum-salary contract, Watford’s deal initially covered four years, which means it can’t be claimed using the minimum salary exception. A team with interest in claiming the former LSU standout would need to have the cap room or a trade exception necessary to cover his $1.84MM salary.

If Watford is claimed, his 2023/24 salary would become guaranteed and his new club would hold a minimum-salary team option for ’24/25.

Stein’s Latest: Mavs, D. Powell, VanVleet, Schröder, D. Hall

June 30th, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks “fully intend” to re-sign center Dwight Powell in free agency, Marc Stein reports in his latest rumor round-up at Substack. According to Stein, the Cavaliers and Rockets are also expected to show interest in Powell once he hits the open market, but the Mavs value him both on and off the court and are confident about their chances to retain him.

With Powell, Richaun Holmes, and lottery pick Dereck Lively II expected to be in the mix at center in Dallas, it didn’t make sense for Andre Drummond to turn down his player option with the Bulls in the hopes of signing with the Mavericks, Stein explains, following up on a previous rumor. If the Mavs had been able to trade Holmes, it might’ve been a different story, but Drummond opted for the guaranteed money and a clearer path to rotation minutes in Chicago.

Here’s more from Stein:

Fred VanVleet‘s current plan is to meet with both the Raptors and Rockets in person in Los Angeles when free agency opens on Friday, Stein tweets, reiterating in today’s article that Houston looks like a serious threat to sign the point guard away from Toronto.
The Lakers are “eager” to bring back point guard Dennis Schröder and would like to give him a raise, but will have a limited ability to do so with his Non-Bird rights. Echoing ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Stein says there’s a scenario in which Los Angeles commits a portion of its mid-level exception to Schröder and uses the rest on another player.
Former NBA big man Donta Hall, who is in the midst of a multiyear contract with AS Monaco in Europe, has an NBA opt-out in his deal and is attracting some interest from teams stateside, according to Stein, who names the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers as a couple of the clubs eyeing Hall.
One Western Conference front office executive was surprised by how many potential free agents exercised their player options. “I’ve never seen this many good players opt in,” the executive told Stein.

Clippers Are Harden’s Preferred Destination As Trade Talks Begin

June 30th, 2023 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

James Harden‘s decision to exercise his $35.6MM player option and ask for a trade stems from displeasure with the Sixers over how they handled negotiations, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Harden has a strong desire to join the Clippers and is optimistic that a deal will take place, sources tell Amick. He also hears that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George support the idea of adding Harden.

Amick cites a series of “silent signals” from the Sixers organization that led to Harden’s dissatisfaction. After turning down a $47.4MM player option last summer and signing for $33MM to give the team extra cap space to build its roster, Harden was expecting a generous offer from Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey if he declined his current option and entered free agency as expected.

However, sources tell Amick that Morey’s position was to have Harden test the market before making an offer. With interest from the Rockets reportedly drying up, Harden feared that the Sixers would offer a short-term, bargain contract and that he would be stuck on the open market with no way to get the type of deal he believes he deserves.

A potential return to Houston had been rumored since Christmas when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Harden was considering it. However, the Rockets decided weeks ago that Harden wasn’t a good fit under new coach Ime Udoka, according to Amick. Owner Tilman Fertitta, his son Patrick Fertitta and general manager Rafael Stone remain fond of Harden and are fans of what he can do on the court, Amick adds, but the organization decided to go in another direction with its $64MM in cap room.

Harden had been hoping to create a bidding war between the Sixers and Rockets to wind up with one last mega-deal — something in the range of $200MM over four years — according to Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports. As of late May, Harden hadn’t communicated his intentions to Philadelphia’s front office, Weitzman adds, and there was concern than he planned to leave even after Nick Nurse replaced Doc Rivers as head coach.

However, Rockets executives have been letting the league know for several months that they weren’t convinced Harden was headed there, according to Weitzman’s sources. Also, per Weitzman, the Rockets have informed agents that they’re not interested in offering contracts longer than two years so they won’t run into a salary crunch when their young players start becoming eligible for extensions.

Amick reports that Harden had a desire to be traded to the Suns before they acquired Bradley Beal and that Kevin Durant was on board with the move. It also would have represented a homecoming for Harden, who played at Arizona State and still has a home in the Phoenix area, but Amick states that the Sixers never talked to the Suns about a possible deal before the Beal opportunity arose.

Shams Charania of The Athletic says Philadelphia has already started trade discussions and mentions the Clippers and Heat as the most likely destinations (Twitter link). He adds that there’s an understanding around the league that a player of Harden’s caliber will eventually reach his “preferred destination,” which seems to favor L.A.

Miami isn’t expected to aggressively pursue Harden, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, who adds the Heat are preserving their assets in case there’s an opportunity to acquire Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers.